Gadgets: Pure Komachi 2 Knives
[Photographs: Amazon.com (chef's knife, bread knife)]
Remember how I'd mentioned that my roommate's nice Wusthof knives weren't sticking around forever? Well the day finally came when they made their sad exit from my life. Clearly, this was a bit of a debacle. Being on a budget doesn't particularly allow for the kind of splurge that would be required to replace Wusthofs, but after being privy to wonderful knives, how could I ever revert to my old stock?
Thankfully, Pure Komachi 2, a subsidiary of Shun, makes an impressive line of knives at knockout prices. With not a single knife topping $25, I was skeptical as to the quality of these blades, but the aficionados behind the store counter couldn't contain their excitement when I asked them to share their thoughts.
Convinced, I brought home the two most dire essentials: a 9" chef's knife, and an 8" bread knife that features a scalloped blade that's designed to cut equally well in both directions. The fact that they come in pretty colors didn't hurt either--products that consider both performance and aesthetic are admittedly my very favorite kind.
Later that evening, I excitedly brandished my new (and attractive) toys. Onions diced finely with little to no effort, and tomatoes sliced just as easily. In several weeks of use, I have yet to find something that these knives don't do well. But one thing that was rather surprising was how lightweight these are--since they're made of high carbon stainless steel, they're far less heavy than normal knives. This may take some getting used to, and may alter the way you grip the knife for control. Personally, I like the change and find the handle to be rather ergonomically designed, but I know it's not for everyone.
The chef's knife and bread knife are available for $14.95 each from Broadway Panhandler and Amazon.com
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28 Comments:
A lot of chefs use Victorinox Forschner knives which are also reasonably priced.
jorach at 11:08AM on 09/10/09
Also different steels don't have significantly different densities. The weight difference is probably mostly due to you switching from forged Wusthof knives to thin stamped Pure Komachi 2 knives.
I own a Henckel's chef's knife that feels like a battle ax compared to my Shun Elite. It's not because of the difference in steels.
jorach at 11:11AM on 09/10/09
One thing I don't get about these knives. The blade is painted, except for the actual cutting edge. Doesn't the paint eventually flake off into your food?
mwainer at 11:32AM on 09/10/09
I have to admit that I'm skeptical of the long-term quality of these knives; I'd love to see a follow-up in a month and then six months down the road.
I also have to ask others' opinions: Is a bread knife an essential? If you can get only two knives, I can definitely see getting a chef's knife, but I'd go for a good paring knife long before a bread knife.
RunningWithScissors at 11:50AM on 09/10/09
@runningw/scis: My second knilfe would also be a paring knife, but a bread knife is indispensible to me; I would need all these three in a single purchase, and then I think I'd be fine...Should I find myself wanting to fill in my knife block, my fourth purchase would be a filet knife with a nice, bandy blade...
BobbieAnne at 12:17PM on 09/10/09
From the Apartment Therapy (http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cutlery/colorful-knives-pure-komachi-2-knife-set-091626) article about the knives:
"They looked like gimmicky knives to us at first (where's the steel?) but it turns out the color is from bonding FDA approved resin to high carbon stainless steel blades. So basically these knives have a nonstick coating."
I'd be more concerned about the ability to resharpen the knives w/o losing the aesthetic feel to the knives.
blogkitten at 12:21PM on 09/10/09
Hmmm I bought a red PK chef's knife to take away this holiday. Catering for 18 needed some decent kit, but baggge space was limited and the Henckels just weren't going to make the trip. So in went a few Opinels and a PK
Like you, at first I found handling very different but easy to adapt to, the knives sharp and adaptable to any task. But within a couple of weeks whilst the Opinels bore up, the PK blunted badly, and didn't easily sharpen up leading to at least on nasty cut. By the end of three weeks the PK went from being used for everything to being left in the draw.
They do look nice though.
Mattx52 at 12:27PM on 09/10/09
I have the Santoku knife and the bread knife. The Santoku I've had for a year and a half. No paint chipping, and it still chops and slices really well. The only mildly annoying thing I noticed is that the painted part gets a bit stained after awhile, since the knife is light lavender. I did wonder about sharpening though.
clownhorn at 12:52PM on 09/10/09
I DID have one of the "painted" knives - a paring knife - and the paint HAS chipped and I HAVE chucked it. Had no idea where the paint chips fell off into, but it made me mad that I'd fallen for the cheery brightness before thinking it through. Lesson learned. Color is for decorators, not for serious cooks. Knife blades don't need to be coated with any substance that's gonna be short-lived and of questionable safety.
moibec at 1:10PM on 09/10/09
I have one of these and I love it! I have wrist problems, so I appreciate that it's lightweight and the easy grip handle is fantastic. Makes cutting butternut squash something I can actually handle without pain again.
dashofginger at 1:19PM on 09/10/09
I have that bread knife (same color!) and i've used it every day for two years in a restaurant kitchen without any problem ever. Great knife. My old sous chef used the same model to trim the base of his xmas tree years ago and still uses for food to this day.
I wouldn't use a PK chef's knife, though, too lightweight.
sailordave at 1:22PM on 09/10/09
to answer some questions:
like blogkitten said, the color isn't paint--it's a non-stick coating. And the colors are meant to help distinguish the knives from one another (like color-coded cutting boards would).
according to the knife experts that I consulted, these can be sharpened with any normal sharpener or steel, so no worries there.
moibec--are you sure what you had was by this brand? other companies make colored knives but these are a little different. I'd love to urge you to reconsider your stance--there is such thing as an aesthetically designed kitchen gadget that lives up to cooks' standards!
Nikki Goldstein at 1:33PM on 09/10/09
I enjoy using my friend's knife when I cook over at her house, and am considering purchasing one for myself. Bread knives, in general, are fantastic, as they can be used for much more than just bread. I use mine for hard sausage as well.
shoneyjoe at 1:33PM on 09/10/09
The bread and chef's knives are $9.95 right now at Amazon. I pre-ordered a the bread knife and a paring knife ($7.99). I have a lot of really good knives, but they're pretty and I'm a sucker for pretty.
chisai at 1:33PM on 09/10/09
I have one of these and i love it. And I got it at TJ Maxx for $4.99
jesss1224 at 2:44PM on 09/10/09
"I'd love to urge you to reconsider your stance--there is such thing as an aesthetically designed kitchen gadget that lives up to cooks' standards!"
Nikki, I'd actually really like to see a series on this!
RunningWithScissors at 3:47PM on 09/10/09
runningwithscissors -- I have every intention of including more pretty gadgets in my existing column! I'm glad to see there's mutual interest :)
Nikki Goldstein at 4:21PM on 09/10/09
when I read this I was intrigued enough to look into buying one but whilst they are only $10 in the US they are £30 in the UK (about $50) so im going to do a little searching first see if I cant find it cheaper somewhere else
Edwardkimuk at 6:43PM on 09/10/09
Psst...bread knives make great tomato knives too.
chanterelle at 8:56PM on 09/10/09
I bought a set of the Komachi knives at Costco and I've had them for about 5-6 months. They still work just as beautifully as they did the first day. I have 3 different paring knives, a chefs knife, a bread knife, and a santoku knife. These are the best knives I've ever used (so far, haha).
SaltyDonuts at 5:40AM on 09/11/09
I have an irrational fear of those adorable little colored knives. Even though I know that they are SHARP, their colored blades make them seem like benign children's toys. I haven't bought one becuase I am convinced that I would quickly lose a finger if I did.
thehostess at 2:16PM on 09/11/09
I found a couple of ceramic knives at Harbor Freight Tools. A 6" "chef" knife at $20.00 and a 4" paring knife for $15.00. They may be available on line as well.
I don't think even my Henkels out of the box could cut a ripe tomato as thinly as these. Since they are ceramic, you can't do the Jacques Pepin puree garlic trick, and the paring knife does not have a sharp point, but otherwise they are incredible.
kojaks43 at 4:54PM on 09/11/09
@runningwithscissors: i have a bread knife that i bought at a kitchen store in NYC for twelve bucks. it works perfectly. if you buy unsliced bread, it's indispensible, and inexpensive ones are fine.
cybercita at 12:02AM on 09/12/09
I found a pink Santoku knife at my Target for $6.19! Going back today to find the Chef's for the same price.
They are incredibly sharp that I already nicked my finger. Yea me!
ArchieLeach at 8:23AM on 09/15/09
Do they pass the ultimate test ? Will they take off a clean slice of your finger tip a 1/16" thick and not realize it ? Or do they, like all serrated blades deliver a painful sawing ? I did a really good one not too ling ago, it hurts to recall it. Gross subject, Yes ? But it happens to all and I use serrated blades for bread and tomatos primarily. I just don't like the sawing through food as compared to a sharp smooth blades clean slice !
butterfingers at 1:52PM on 09/18/09
I don't like gadgets that are too kitschy. I have a collection of Wusthof Trident knives that work well. Knives for professional use are best forged in one piece from bar to steel, with blade, bolster and tang individually shaped in a series of processes to produce a well-balanced tool.
Truffels at 12:36PM on 09/21/09
@Truffels: I agree with you up to a point. I have a very nice Henckels set, along with a couple of Wusthofs. However, they were all horrendously expensive! Not everyone is willing (or able) to shell out a substantial sum for cutlery. Inexpensive knives, and by inexpensive I mean less than $50, are attractive to wide range of people simply because of that factor.
SSG Snuffy at 12:15PM on 09/22/09
If you don't own a bread knife, a good steak knife works great for cutting bread!
Giesenh at 11:04AM on 09/23/09